Customer reviews for Dacia Duster

I’ve found the car to be very spacious and comfortable to drive, especially on longer journeys. Around town, the automatic gearbox is excellent – smooth at low speeds and very well suited to traffic conditions.

The adaptive cruise control is a bit of a double-edged sword. In slow-moving traffic it works brilliantly, handling stopping and starting with ease. However, at higher speeds you need to pull out to overtake sooner than you might expect, otherwise the car slows down quite noticeably.

One concern is in heavy rain, where the adaptive cruise control can stop functioning properly or, worse, attempt an emergency stop. In these conditions, I would recommend switching to the speed limiter instead.

Gear changes can sometimes feel a bit clunky, with the engine revving quite high before shifting up. That said, this is less noticeable when using adaptive cruise control.

Fuel economy is currently averaging around 47.5 mpg. While that’s below the advertised 60 mpg, it does seem to be gradually improving after a few months of ownership.

At low speeds and on hill starts, the car feels very controlled and easy to manage, which inspires confidence.

Finally, the heated steering wheel – something I initially thought was a gimmick – has turned out to be one of my favourite features, especially on cold mornings.

On the positive side the design is good, the driving position is comfortable and being a full hybrid is very economical.

I am happy with colour which is Cedar green, but the range of colours was limited and drab. This is the third Duster we have bought and have always gone for the orange colour.

There is a high levels of hard plastic used in the interior, which in itself is not a problem but there are a number of annoying rattles which our previous Dusters did not have and as yet have not been resolved by the retailer.

The lack of a handbook is a nuisance as having read and resolve issues via the iPad isn’t easy. There have been three glitches, one being the wing mirrors not closing, the second being the speed limiter coming on which was quite frightening while on a busy duel carriageway and the final one being all the cameras going off and the infotainment screen locking. This was resolved by my husband rebooting the system. While on the subject the sensor sounds while revering are too loud and difficult to reduce.

I am aware that this sounds all negative. It is a good car and excellent value for money, but the step up from the previous model has been testing.

This is my 4th Dacia Duster 4x4 Extreme, love the new version, I bought it from W.D.Semple in Inveraray, Argyll, a really excellent garage with brilliant service, we have had a holiday home in the area for the last 45 years, away in the wilds so happy to have a Scottish number plate SD75 ….

My last 4x4 Duster AY68 … has been passed down to my youngest son aged 46 who lives in Devon, and at the moment in a flood risk area.

My eldest son aged 48 who lives in Colchester Essex, he is the senior field archaeologist at (CAT) Colchester Archaeology Trust, also bought a Duster 4x4, ..17 … plate and uses it off road most days for his job….

My next door neighbour tried my 4x4 EA63 … and bought one.

My EU66 … was written off as it was hit by a large lorry, all occupants were fine, so most happy with safety aspect.

Before my 1st Duster I’d had 5 Landrovers, Dusters such great value for money, and just as good or in some cases better off road than the Landrovers which are 3x’s more expensive.

Brilliant Vehicles.

Had our Duster for three months now it does everything we want it to do so very happy. Road sign recognition a bit hit and miss could end up with a speeding fine if I was to take notice of it. I also tow a trailer, eg. on an A road with no trailer = 60mph, with a trailer= 50mph the dashboard is telling me I can still do 60mph with the trailer plugged in. Make it easier to fit a space saver spare wheel and tyre in the boot floor out of sight where it belongs, expression model. Just a couple of things I noticed a few days after collecting our new Duster 1. Small dent in the o/s/f wing needs to be in the right to be able to see it. 2. Foam rubber n/s bonnet hinge completely out of place. 3. Dacia emblem on drivers seat wonky (down hill when you look through the windscreen from outside of the car). 4. The most worrying thing was the brake fluid reservoir, brake fluid leaking out around the lid because the lid was very loose.

My previous Dacia Duster (a 2022 diesel 4x4) was the best car I’ve ever had: this is not nearly as good. The engine is OK although I need to change gear as often as I had to on my old 2-stroke motorbike to keep the eco-hints happy. However, in general I would sum up the problems as too much tech which doesn’t work very well. I hate the lack of a “proper” handbrake - it makes hill starts difficult and causes problems rolling back even on quite gentle slopes. The speed limiter keeps switching itself on even when select to turn it off in my safety preferences, and when it rains the front camera keeps losing visibilty anyway. I have problems getting the car to link with my phone for Apple car play.

I wish I had kept my old car instead, which is a pity as I have always loved my previous Dusters, and there are some really good things about this car - but the annoying tech problems are really off-putting and annoying

I previously owned an earlier model of this car, which I rated very highly, so I had high expectations for this newer version. While the exterior design is definitely an improvement and looks more modern, there are a few areas where it feels like a step backwards.

The sound quality is disappointing compared to my previous car, which had an excellent audio system. Visibility while driving also seems worse, making the overall driving experience less comfortable. The microphone seams to catch all noises except my voice. What’s more concerning is that my current car is only three months old, yet the interior noise level already feels higher than my previous one did after three years of use.

Overall, I still like the car, and if I didn’t have my previous experience to compare it with, I might rate it more generously. However, when upgrading to a newer model, you naturally expect improvements, not compromises!

For the price paid, it is a stylish, practical and enjoyable car. Good infotainment system, nice to drive, well equipped and although you can feel it has been built to a price it doesn’t matter because it fits with the character of the car. The blue accents on the dashboard work well, the seats are comfortable and the trim is nice. Good size boot and the colour I chose looks good on the car.

Some of the less good areas are that it could do with a little more rear leg room, the infotainment system does glitch from time to time and the car comes up with spurious warnings of ‘electrical problems’ and loss of cruise control in cold weather and low tyre pressure warnings when the tyres were fine.

Overall I’m impressed and like it a lot. After driving one in Iceland as a hire car I was happy enough that I wanted to buy my own when I got home!

I’ve been using my Dacia since January 2026, and so far it has been a solid and enjoyable experience. The fuel economy has been impressive, especially for regular commuting, and the car consistently feels efficient without compromising performance. The comfortable seats make longer journeys much easier, and I appreciate the supportive design.

Phone connectivity has also been smooth — phone synchronization is quick and reliable, which makes hands‑free driving and navigation effortless. On the road, the car delivers a smooth ride with good handling and stability.

I’ve given it 4 stars for now, simply because I’m still in the early months of ownership. As I continue driving it through different conditions and over a longer period, I’ll update my rating based on long‑term performance.

Although the car is comfortable and powerful enough, with excellent fuel economy, there is definitely room for improvement. After fitting my own dashcam, I realised that, as it already has cameras on board, these could easily have been connected to a memory card to have an inbuilt dashcam. Also, as I don't want Lane Assistance, nor a Beep every time I exceed the speed limit by 1mph, I have turned them off on my personal settings, but I need to do this every time I start the car. Same with the Eco settings. I cannot understand why Dacia didn't set the Default to my Personal Settings 😒

I also found that the Auto Main Beam on the headlights can be annoying, and should have an easier override, but requires me to turn the auto lights off, rather than just manually dipping them.

This is my third Dacia Duster so far, mk1, mk2 and now 3. I absolutely love the advancements in design, aesthetics and technology. Shame about the engine! I have a 1.2 TCe 130, the only engine available with 4x4. Previously both my Dusters were the 1.5 DCi and perhaps I have been spoiled but I find the TCe lacks power, and it definitely lacks torque. I have stalled pulling out of junctions too many times to mention. I also find the handling very skittish. The concentration of a Formula 1 driver is required to keep it anywhere near in a straight line and if the lane departure assistance is turned on, it's undriveable.

Please don't misunderstand me, I love it. I just wish it was better :)